Fated Friendship
by Kylie-Chan
Summary: AU Sasuke is the prince of Konoha, Naruto is the outcast. Their first meeting was one of chance, and it sparked a strong friendship. But what if someone doesn't like this friendship? SasuNaru, various other pairings
1. Trial

A/N: Nnn, I should really be working on my Outsiders fics, but this idea wouldn't stop bothering me! It just started out as a little baby plot bunny one day, that looked at me with big, innocent eyes in this pleading sort of way. I thought 'Aww, this is nice. But I can't really start any more fics until I get done with my other ones.' And THEN the plot bunny became rabid and started nibbling at my brain, until I finally decided to write this fic. And that made no sense….oh well! This is certainly going to be an interesting story to write.:) And I apologize in advance to all Sakura fans; she WILL be the 'villain' in the story for awhile, but she eventually gets better. Flames are welcomed; after all, we all need something to laugh at.:)

WARNING: This fic contains slash pairings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, ZabuHaku, ShikaChou, and various others, most likely. This fic is also AU, and it will probably have swearing and violence.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.:( If I did, Sasuke and Naruto would have already admitted that they love each other, and Kakashi and Iruka would see each other A LOT more.

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In the great continent of elements, there are 10 countries: Earth, Fire, Grass, Lightening, Wave, Sound, Rain, Wind, Water, and Waterfall. In each of these countries, there is a hidden village; however, the capital of all these countries is the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha, which resides in Fire Country. It is neutral territory, and the kingdom there is run by the oldest and most respected clan in the country, the Uchihas. Or at least, it was.

One day, Orochimaru, head of the Sound Village, decided that he no longer wanted to be ruled by Konoha. A great war broke out between the Sound Country and the Fire Country, and many people died. However, through the heroic efforts and great sacrifice of the 4th Hokage, who was chief advisor to the Uchihas and general of the army, Fire Country defeated Sound Country. Unfortunately, this was not before the entire Uchiha clan was slaughtered, save for the two sons of the king and queen.

Itachi, the eldest son, became king at the age of 12, and was helped along by the 21-year-old apprentice of the late 4th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi. The younger son, Sasuke, was only 7, and was horribly traumatized by the almost complete destruction of his clan. He became closed off to almost everyone, except for his brother and Kakashi. As time passed, though, the two brothers grew, and both were incredibly handsome. Now 22, Itachi was being pestered constantly to get a wife. Sasuke too, at 17, was chased after by many girls. Sasuke was uninterested in the affections that were showered upon him, however, and continued to remain single…

"Saaaasukeeeeee-kuuuun!"

Damn. Sasuke reluctantly looked up from the bench he was sitting on in the castle gardens, and was dismayed when he saw whom the voice belonged to. It was Haruno Sakura, the daughter of a very wealthy man who owned many shops and buildings in Konoha. She had long, pink hair and green eyes, and always wore an elegant, yet modern, red Chinese-style dress. She had been pursuing Sasuke since they were 12 years old, and she swore that she would someday be Sasuke's wife. Sasuke held no interest in her, however; if anything, he was disgusted by her. She had once been best friends with one of the servant girls in the palace, Yamanaka Ino, but had abruptly stopped after she began chasing Sasuke. She had apparently thought that such a friendship, with such a low-ranking girl, would ruin her chances at being with the young Uchiha. But that backfired on her, as Sasuke thought that any girl who would give up her best friend for a boy was incredibly shallow. Nonetheless, Sakura refused to give up.

"Hello, Haruno-san," Sasuke said stiffly. Sakura giggled, a blush crossing her cheeks.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, I've told you to just call me Sakura-chan!"

"Gomen, Haruno…chan," Sasuke said in reply, disliking the use of such a familiar suffix for the girl. Sakura was not perturbed by his lack of calling her by her first name; she thought that it was incredibly gentlemanly of him.

"So, Sasuke-kun, I was wondering, if you're not busy, do you think we could go on a—"

"No," Sasuke said firmly, which made the cherry blossom frown.

"But…But…"

"Gomen, Haruno-san, but I have to leave now," Sasuke said abruptly. He got up from the bench and began to walk back into the castle, leaving a disappointed girl in his wake.

At the door, Sasuke was met by Kakashi, who was, to no one's surprise, reading his favorite book, Icha Icha Paradaisu.

"You know, you really are very cold to Haruno-chan," the scarecrow stated, raising his uncovered eye towards Sasuke. The Uchiha rolled his eyes.

"And why does that bother you, Kakashi?"

The scarecrow shrugged. "You're 17, Sasuke. It's almost time for you to be getting a wife, you know, and Haruno-chan would be the perfect candidate. She certainly loves you very much."

"Go nag Itachi, he's the one who needs a wife," Sasuke said in a bored tone. Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head.

"You're brother already has enough people bothering him about getting a wife. Although, if you ask me, I think he'll end up marrying Akika-chan."

Sasuke silently agreed with the older man's assessment, and secretly hoped that he was right. Akika, who was 21, had been his brother's closest friend since they were kids, and Sasuke couldn't picture a more perfect wife for his brother than the cheerful girl. It would also have its political advantages, seeing as Akika was a native of the Waterfall Village.

"What about Akika-chan?" Came a bright voice from behind the two men. Sasuke turned around and saw the aforesaid girl standing behind him and Kakashi, grinning. Akika had waist-length blonde hair and blue eyes, and was currently wearing ocean-blue robes that had no sleeves, showing off the tattoo on her left shoulder, which was of the Waterfall Village symbol.

"We were just talking about how Sasuke should treat his future wife with more respect," Kakashi said, and although noone could really tell because of the mask he wore, he seemed to be smiling. Akika raised an eyebrow and looked at Sasuke.

"What's he talking about?" She asked curiously. Sasuke glared at Kakashi, who became absorbed in his book once again.

"Nothing, just him getting weird ideas in his head," Sasuke said bitterly. "He thinks I'm going to marry Sakura."

"Really? And why is that such a weird idea?"

"Because I don't like her. She's annoying," Sasuke stated in irritation. Akika sighed, but didn't say anything, instead turning towards Kakashi.

"Kakashi-kun, why don't you go down to the ocean today? It's been awhile, and I'm sure that you miss the dolphins, ne?" Kakashi looked thoughtful, and Sasuke could see a strange spark in his eyes.

"Iie, only one. But you know, I think I will. Sayonara Akika, Sasuke." The silver-haired man disappeared in a cloud of smoke, one of his special tricks that he'd learned from the Fourth. Sasuke looked at Akika, who was chuckling quietly, and caught the feeling that he was missing something. It didn't seem like they were speaking of actual dolphins or oceans.

"What does that mean?" He asked suspiciously, and Akika only smiled.

"Nothing. Now come along, I was actually here to get you; Itachi-kun wants to see you."

"Itachi? Why?" Sasuke inquired, walking alongside the girl.

"I'm not sure; he didn't say exactly why," she answered. "I think it has something to do with the thieves that were caught."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in mild interest. "Thieves?"

"Yep. A really pretty thief too; I almost thought that he was a girl when they first brought him in. Anyways, he stole some gold from a merchant downtown, and the merchant demands a punishment," Akika explained just as they approached the throne room.

Sasuke remained silent as they entered the large room, surveying the scene quickly. A grubby, middle aged man stood off to the side, face set in a rather grumpy manner. The thief was held by two gaurds before the throne, his head bowed in shame.

_Akika wasn't lying when she said he was pretty,_ Sasuke thought to himself. The thief had long, black hair, a very lithe, feminine frame, and big, sorrowful brown eyes. He was dressed in sleeve-less, pale pink robes that looked very worn, and was wearing a simple pair of brown sandals on his feet. He looked about Sasuke's age, if not a little younger. Sasuke had a hard time believing that this boy could have actually stolen something.

Itachi noticed his brother and beckoned for him to stand by him. Sasuke complied and walked soundlessly over to his older brother.

"Now that the prince is here, we shall continue with our judgment," Itachi announced. "Now, what is your name?" He asked the thief.

"It is Haku, your majesty," the boy replied docilely.

"Do you deny that you stole this man's gold?" Itachi asked, gesturing towards the middle-aged merchant.

"No, your majesty," Haku replied.

"What were your reasons for doing so?" Itachi inquired further.

"I-I was…I was hungry, your majesty. I had no money…" Haku answered. Sasuke noticed that this was his first time faltering while answering the questions. Itachi seemed to notice this too, because his next question was,

"Are you telling me the truth?"

Haku looked slightly uneasy, but he nodded. "Yes, your majesty." Before anyone else could say anything, there was a loud outburst from the front door. Two guards were being practically dragged into the room by a strange, orange blur.

"Lemme in godddamnit! This is important! I-" the blur stopped, seeming to finally notice where he was, and who was in the room. "Oh, hello your majesty," he said in a care-free tone. Sasuke stared at the boy in interest and disbelief. He looked about 17, and had spiky, messy looking blonde hair, tan skin, and strange marks that looked almost like whiskers running down his cheeks. He was dressed in a bright, orange coat, and pants of the same color. But what fascinated Sasuke were the boy's eyes; they were blue, a deep, sky blue that seemed oddly familiar in some way.

"And who are you?" Itachi asked, his ever-present emotionless demeanor still intact.

The blonde glared at the two gaurds holding either of his arms, but swiftly turned back to face Itachi. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto. I'm here cause Haku didn't mean to steal that gold, and it would be unfair for you to punish him for it!" Naruto stated.

"And why is this?" Itachi asked, his pale hands lacing together in mild curiousity.

"He was forced to do it by some guy! He said he would kill Haku if he didn't do it," Naruto said in a hurried voice, as if Haku could die at any given second if he didn't answer quick enough.

"Where is this man?" Itachi questioned.

"I-I don't know. He ran off after Haku got caught," the blonde answered, stammering slightly.

"That's a lie!" Shouted the merchant. Itachi held up a hand to silence him, his attention back on Haku.

"Is what Uzumaki said true? Were you forced into stealing?" Itachi asked the young man. Haku nodded.

"Yes, your majesty. I apologize for l-lying before."

Itachi finally turned towards Sasuke, his ebony eyes slightly questioning. "Well Sasuke, I'll leave this decision to you; what should we do with this young thief?"

Sasuke was startled. He hadn't expected for Itachi to ask his opinion, and he now felt uncomfortable as all eyes turned towards him. However, the blonde boy, Naruto, was the one to catch his gaze, and ebony eyes locked on sky blue ones. It was obvious to Sasuke that this story was a lie; at least, it partially was. But Naruto's eyes were pleading, and he mouthed a word that, for some reason, made Sasuke's heart stop.

_Please_.

Then the words were out of his mouth before he could even register what he was saying. "I think we should let them go." The merchant let out an outraged cry, and Itachi seemed mildly surprised. He felt Akika start beside him. No one had expected him to make that choice, he knew. However, when he looked at Naruto again, he saw that the blonde's face had melted in happy relief. He mouthed another word to Sasuke, and this time Sasuke was able to feel the joy emanating from the silent-spoken word.

_Thank you._

Haku, too, looked thankful, as Itachi gave a slight nod. "You're free to go," he said, and the guards released their grip on the boy's arms.

"Th-That's not-" the merchant began, but Itachi gave him a piercing glare that instantly silenced him.

"Thank you, your majesty," Haku said quietly.

Itachi shook his head. "Thank the prince; it was his decision, not mine." Haku nodded and turned his shining brown eyes towards Sasuke.

"Thank you, kind prince," he murmured. Sasuke nodded. Haku went and joined Naruto by the door. Just before they walked out the door, escorted by the guards, the blonde threw one last look of gratitude in Sasuke's direction.

"That was a very generous decision, Sasuke," Itachi said, his hid tilted slightly to the side.

Sasuke shrugged. "I thought they were innocent; generosity had nothing to do with it." Itachi nodded, although he didn't seem entirely convinced.

"You may leave now," Itachi said. "I have a meeting with Kazekage-sama of the Wind country shortly."

"Alright," Sasuke replied. He swiftly turned and left, going out the side-entrance to the room, and then up a long, winding staircase that lead to the corridor that held his room. His thoughts, however, remained on the blonde boy he's just met. Something inside him had been tweaked, and he had a strange feeling that he would see the boy again soon.

_Uzumaki Naruto, eh? I'll have to remember that._

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There, that will quell the plot bunny for a bit. Anyways, tell me what you think. Like it, love it, hate it; reviews will only serve to make me happier.:)


	2. Pottery and Marionettes

A/N: Hee, glad you all like it so far. Mysterious….? Cool. I like the sound of that…anywho, thanks for the reviews! And BTW, Akika won't be paired up with Itachi.:) The reason as to why will be explained later on in the fic, but for now, I'll just give you that.:)

WARNING: Same as last one.

Disc.: See above.

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It had been four days since Sasuke had first seen Uzumaki Naruto, and he was beginning to get a little frustrated. He felt a strange connection with the blonde, even though he barely knew him, and not seeing him felt…wrong. He wanted to know more about the boy, and for the first time since his parents died, he wanted to make a friend. That friend, of course, being Naruto. So finally, after much deliberation, Sasuke decided to take matters into his own hands.

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"Nii-san, please," Sasuke implored stubbornly. "I'm not a child anymore; all I want to do is go into town."

Itachi sighed. "No, Sasuke. You don't seem to realize the dangers that lie in Konoha. We may be the capital, but we're far from perfectly peaceful; the little trial the other day should've been an indicator of that."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to lose this argument; he'd already decided that. Now he just had to play this right so that he could leave. "I know the dangers, Itachi. That's why I trained, remember? You and me both," the raven-haired prince said. "I'm not helpless."

"Helplessness is not an issue when a kunai is thrown at someone from behind."

"Itachi-" Sasuke began, his charcoal eyes narrowing.

"Itachi, I'll take him," Kakashi interrupted. Both Uchihas looked at Kakashi, and Sasuke frowned. Kakashi almost never intervened when it came to arguments between the brothers, which lead Sasuke to be suspicious of the silver-haired man's motives. Apparently, Itachi was in the same line thinking, because he asked,

"And why would you do that?"

Kakashi shrugged. "He's pretty deadest on it, and it'd be better for me to go with him rather than he tries to sneak out on his own." Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds like you have your own agenda, Kakashi. If I did let him go with you, you wouldn't abandon him for any reason, right?" Itachi questioned sternly. Sasuke narrowed his eyes; this was the second time that he felt like he was missing something that had to do with Kakashi. If his brother did let him go, then maybe he'd find out what this little secret was all about.

"Of course not," Kakashi answered. "I'll stay with him at all times."

Itachi thought for a few, long minutes, and finally sighed and said, "Alright, you may go."

Sasuke nodded thankfully and said, "Thank you very much Nii-san." Kakashi was beside him in an instant, his eyes scrunched up in a way that made it obvious to Sasuke that he was smiling. After they'd made it out the door, Sasuke looked at the silver-haired man beside him and asked, "Why?"

Kakashi looked at him with a curious glint in his eyes, and he shrugged. "Maybe I do have my own agenda. Or maybe I just wanted to do something nice for you."

Sasuke was betting more on the former, but he didn't say anything. They walked in silence for the rest of the way; Sasuke hadn't wanted to take a carriage into the city. He'd rather not alert anyone to his presence, and was even wearing plain clothing, much to his brother's distaste. For some unexplainable reason, Itachi liked only nice, fashionable clothing. Someone had once joked that it had to do with the fact that Itachi was so feminine; why wouldn't he have selective tastes? Sasuke himself enjoyed good clothing, but didn't mind wearing the somewhat rough fabric of a peasant. Hopefully, it would be worth it.

Once they were downtown, Sasuke couldn't help but stare at all the vendor's nearby. A few sold fruits and vegetables, some sold flowers (he saw the Yamanaka girl's parents' flower shop as well), others sold jewelery, and still others sold a medley of things. But a store that drew him in was a pottery and marionette shop, with beautiful pots and scarily realistic puppets in it's windows. When he walked in, it was somewhat dark, and he was surprised to hear a heated argument going on near the back.

"Art is fleeting, yeah. It's so much more beautiful that way."

"Art is something that should last. Then one can always appreciate it's beauty, for eternity…"

"No one will live for eternity! That is why art is something that should happen in small flashes, yeah! Beauty is not eternal."

"It can be, and my puppets are just that sort of beauty. They will last for ages, and bring people joy for a long time."

"But my items are the ones that can easily break! That means that people have to be more careful, and so they enjoy it with each passing moment, because they know it might break, yeah. You're puppets aren't like that!"

When Sasuke neared the back, he saw that the two people arguing were men, and judging by their similar outfits, they probably ran the shop together. One had bright red hair, and eyes of the same color. He had a childish face, which was now hardened in determination, which Sasuke assumed was coming from his desire to win the argument. The other had blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail, with a long curtain of bangs falling over their left eye. Sasuke would have thought he was a female were it not for his flat chest.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke questioned. He felt a little awkward, having stumbled upon the arguing pair, and Kakashi wasn't really helping him out, instead indulging in his favorite past time of reading that damn book. The two storeowners looked at him, and their demeanor instantly changed. The red-head smiled and said,

"Welcome. Need any help finding anything?"

"Well…I was wondering, what are these made of?" Sasuke asked, gesturing towards the pots. "I haven't seen any clay like this before." The red-haired man turned and gave the blonde one a scathing look, and the effeminate man grinned.

"It's my special clay, yeah. No one else can ever make any like it! Oh, and I'm Deidara, by the way. My rude co-owner's name is-"

"Sasori," the other cut off.

"I see. So, Sasori-san, these puppets are really realistic…what did you make them out of?" Sasuke asked, staring in fascination at a miniature phoenix marionette. Sasori smirked, and Deidara rolled his eyes.

"I can't really reveal that; all I'll say is that it takes a lot of hard work. These puppets don't come cheap either; highest quality there is."

Before Sasuke could say anything, a quiet voice said, "Who makes the puppets here?" Sasuke turned to look at the newcomer, and Kakashi looked up from his book as well. It was a boy about Sasuke's age, although he looked far more mature. He had dark red hair and aqua eyes that were heavily outlined in kohl; most peculiar of all was the tattoo above the boy's left eye, which bore the character for 'love'. His clothes didn't look like they were of Konoha make, and Sasuke wondered just who the man was.

"That would be me," Sasori said. The strange one nodded, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Right. I'd like a puppet then; a large model, preferably in a human shape. Not too bulky, and not overly decorative either. The best you have," the red-head said flatly. His eyes gave off dangerous vibes, and Sasuke felt a shiver run through his body despite himself. There was no denying it- this guy was creepy. Sasori, however, did not seem at all bothered, instead nodding at the man's request.

"Of course. Your name, please?"

"Sabaku no Gaara."

Sabaku no Gaara…? Sasuke thought hard, trying to remember why the name sounded suddenly familiar. When he realized it, his eyes widened in surprise. His brother had had a meeting with this man just a few days ago; he was the Kazekage of Suna in Wind Country! Sasuke hadn't seen him then, and was slightly unnerved by the fact that such a man had been so close to him without his knowledge of it.

"Right. Just wait a moment while I look for the model," Sasori said, disappearing through a door. When he came back out, he was holding a large marionette in his hands, and Sasuke could tell just by looking at it that it was truly a work of art. "Is this good?" Sasori asked.

Gaara inspected it closely, than nodded. "Yes."

Sasori began to scrutinize Gaara carefully, and he asked, "Are you into puppetry?" Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly.

"No, I'm not. My brother is. He runs a puppet shop in Suna; he deeply respects your work, and wanted a sample of it himself."

Sasori looked intrigued, but he said nothing further on the matter. He asked for a large sum of money, and if Sasuke didn't know any better, he'd say that he was really over-pricing it. However, Gaara seemed not to care, handing Sasori the money and taking the puppet. He turned to leave, and as he did so, he looked at Sasuke once. Then he was gone, leaving Sasuke to stare in slight bewilderment after him.

"He was certainly very interesting, wasn't he?" Kakashi said non-chalantly. "Acts the same as he did in the meeting; cool, collected, and firm. A no-nonsense kind of guy." Sasuke nodded, and then he turned back to Deidara, who had cleared his throat.

"Do you want to buy anything, yeah?"

Sasuke frowned. "Sorry, but no. Maybe another time." The blonde looked a little disappointed, but then he gave a wide smile.

"Alright then. 'Til next we meet then, yeah!" Sasuke nodded, and he left, Kakashi trailing behind him.

"That was…odd," Sasuke said quietly. Kakashi laughed, shaking his head slightly.

"And that was only one shop," the silver-haired man said. Sasuke rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to the main road, where everyone was walking in different directions. But a flash of orange caught his eye, and a flash of yellow along with it. _Could it be…?_ Sasuke blinked, and then he took off running, leaving a momentarily stunned Kakashi in his wake. _It was him! I know it was! _Sasuke thought as he ran in the direction that he had seen the orange blur go off in. He saw the flash of yellow and orange again, and quickly sped up his pace, knocking some angry people out of the way in the process.

"Hey! You! In the orange! Stop!" Sasuke yelled. To his surprise, the boy did stop, and he turned to see who had called out to him. It was him, the one who had been plaguing his thoughts since he'd first seen him; Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke allowed a smile onto his face as he came to a stop in front of the blonde, but the smile was quickly replaced with a look of shock as he tripped on a stray rock, falling into Naruto.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he saw equally surprised azure orbs staring into his own obsidian ones. Sasuke took in a breath and said, in a triumphant voice, "I've found you, Uzumaki Naruto."


End file.
